Student Who Killed Himself After Breaking SHN Rules Was Worried His Scholarship Will be Revoked

Moving to a foreign country is never easy, especially when you’re young.

You have to leave your family behind and learn so much in this new environment in such a short space of time, which can be overwhelming.

And if you happen to break the law in the foreign land, anxiety over the consequences can be hard to manage.

For one Sri Lankan national, it was simply too much to take.

Flouted SHN Rules with Friend

On 1 Aug, 2020, Sri Lankan national Nishad Manilka De Fonseka arrived in Singapore with a female friend.

The 20-year-old had come to Singapore to begin his first year studying at Singapore Management University (SMU).

Upon their arrival, both De Fonseka and his friend were briefed on the requirements of their stay-home notice (SHN), which included the prohibition of contact with other people.

But on 10 Aug, De Fonseka left his room on the 13th storey of the hotel to visit his female friend who was also serving her SHN on the same floor.

It was said that the pair had watched movies on Netflix together.

At that time, a security officer passed by De Fonseka’s room and noticed the room was empty, with the door left ajar.

The man informed his colleagues and closed his door.

The 20-year-old left his friend’s room at 11.22pm that night and tried to re-enter his own, but could not do so as he had not been given an access card.

So, he informed his friend who alerted the hotel staff about the matter. They eventually allowed him back into his room.

He asked hotel staff not to report the matter, but was told it was protocol to do so.

On 11 Aug, after the pair went for their COVID-19 test, SMU contacted them and asked them to submit a statement and explanation for the breach.

Pair Worried By University’s Letter

After both of them submitted a reply to the university, they texted each other, with the friend saying she was trying hard not to kill herself.

De Fonseka replied, “Same”.

When they talked about their future, De Fonseka said he could not take it anymore. His friend shared his concerns, worried that she would be sent back home. She told De Fonseka that she was going to kill herself.

Past 1.30am on 12 Aug, De Fonseka called his friend to tell her that his mother had not answered his call.

He said he was worried that SMU would suspend them, and that his scholarship would be revoked.

His main concern was explaining all of this to his parents.

Killed Himself After Sending Messages to His Friend

His friend urged him to call her if he had an impulse to harm himself, and only slept after he told her he was okay.

When she woke up the next day, she found several messages from De Fonseka asking her to call him. When she tried to call him back, however, there was no answer.

Worried, she alerted the hotel reception and asked them to check on him.

The 20-year-old was then found hanging from the ceiling and pronounced dead on 12 Aug, 2020.

Left Note to Family Saying “Sorry If I Let You Down”

Investigations revealed that De Fonseka had searched for breaches for SHN and two news articles about the consequences of breaching SHN on the internet.

He also left behind notes apologising to his family, calling the world “a cruel place” and saying “sorry if I let you down”.

Prompted New Guidelines On Handling SHN Breaches

The 20-year-old’s suicide prompted the Ministry of Education (MOE) to set up guidelines on how to handle such SHN breaches.

This included guidelines on how to communicate with those who breach SHN; offenders should be communicated with directly and contacted via phone call before an email is sent.

They should also be informed of the counselling and support available to them.

Featured Image: Christian Heinz / Shutterstock.com (Image is for illustration purpose only)